Cornbread Waffles with Thick Three Bean Chili

I keep a digital notebook of ideas for recipes that I want to create or test. Some of them are mostly fleshed out with potential ingredients lists and instructions, and some are just a title that haven’t progressed beyond the seed of an idea. While scanning my list I realized just how many of my ideas contain corn or cornmeal used in interesting ways. I haven’t given much thought to just how much I love corn. Corn on the cob, creamed corn, grilled corn, corn salad, grits, polenta, cornbread (in ANY form), popcorn… anyone else feeling like this is a scene from Forrest Gump? Yeah, I love corn.

A couple of weeks ago I got it into my head to make some big, deep Belgian waffles using cornmeal. These are absolutely perfect. They have a coarse interior similar to cornbread but with the golden exterior of a waffle. They are what happens when cornbread and Belgian waffles have a baby.

Whenever I make a hearty weekend chili, I have to make a big ole cast iron skillet of Southern cornbread. So when I planned to make these waffles I knew I wanted to serve them with some kind of chili.

Because I wanted to serve the chili right on top of the waffles I had to be careful not to make it too soupy, so this hearty three-bean chili was born.

Top it off with your favorite chili toppings and you’ve got one seriously hearty meal. Enjoy!

In a large pot, brown the ground beef, drain, reserving a couple of teaspoons in the pan. Remove the beef to a bowl and set aside.

Add the onion to the reserved beef drippings and cook until translucent and fragrant. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Adjust seasonings if desired.

Cornbread Waffles

Preheat waffle iron. Preheat oven to 150F or "keep warm" setting and place a large baking sheet inside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk, egg yolks, oil and honey.

In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients in 3 additions, stirring to combine after each one. Allow mixture to stand for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, whip the egg whites using a hand mixter until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold the egg whites into the batter.

Fill the bottom cavities of the waffle iron and cook until deep golden. For a deep dish Belgian waffle maker, about 1 cup of batter will be used per waffle. Transfer finished waffles to the oven in a single layer to keep them warm until ready to assemble.

Waffles can be served whole or separated into sections. Top each waffle with chili and add desired toppings such as cheese, sour cream, sliced pickled jalapeno, chopped green onion, etc.

Notes

The waffle recipe will yield 4 deep dish Belgian waffles, but you can use any kind of waffle maker you have - the smaller waffle irons will yield a lot more waffles!

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About Erin

Erin Browne is a mom of two human babies and four fur-covered babies. She loves comfy pajamas, eats too much peanut butter, and watches excessive amounts of Netflix. Make her day and toss her a like on Facebook or follow her on Instagram.